


Waiting For Someone

by thatapostateboy



Series: When Your Back's Against The Wall [7]
Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: First Meetings, M/M, Spoilers, like end game spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-15 00:06:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10546650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatapostateboy/pseuds/thatapostateboy
Summary: Reyes is enjoying the new challenges that being the King of Kadara is bringing him, but he might be about to meet his greatest challenge yet





	1. corner of my bar

Reyes leaned against the bar, knocking back his whiskey. With Meridian found and humanity’s hope for a home now secured, every outpost was filling up with new people fresh from cryo. Which meant more work for everyone to keep the system running. Not that Reyes minded so much, it was good to see the hard work finally paying off; his beloved Kadara Port becoming more than just a haven for smugglers and thieves. But with more work meant less time for everything else. So he took the small moments when he could.

He glanced up at the barkeeper, but before he could ask for another one, there was a full bottle with two empty glasses waiting for him.

“Compliments of the lady and gent upstairs,” the barkeeper told him.

Reyes looked around to the upper level to see Scott and Sam leaning on the railing, matching smiles on their faces. He hadn’t seen them since the week long celebrations after Landing Day. Normally Sam would send him a message before they reached Kadara so that he could set aside some time to share a drink with his friend. It was even more surprising to see Scott. It was a well known fact that the other Ryder twin used any time that Sam was on business planetside here, he and Gil would be spending time alone together on the ship.  

He frowned a little, glancing down at his omnitool when it flashed up with a new message.

 _His name is Anthony_.

As if on cue, a man leaned against the bar beside Reyes. He was tall with a lithe build hidden beneath a leather jacket, dark hair and brown skin. A smile played on Reyes’ lips as he glanced back at the twins who gave him an encouraging nod before disappearing out of view.

“So, Anthony,” he said, “You look like you’re waiting for someone.”

Anthony looked around at him, green eyes vibrant under Tarturus’ neon lights, “How do you know my name?”

“I’m psychic,” Reyes smirked, pouring whiskey into the two empty glasses, “Drink?”

Anthony wet his lips a little then laughed softly, taking one of the glasses, “You read my mind.”

They clinked their glasses together and both took a drink. “I haven’t seen you around here before,” Reyes pointed out.

“Fresh out of cryo,” Anthony told him, “I’m starting work at the outpost tomorrow, but my cousins insisted the I saw the real sights of Kadara first, which included this bar.”

“Your cousins?” Reyes quirked an eyebrow.

“Yeah, you’ve probably heard of them, they’re kind of a big deal apparently.”

A chuckle started low in the back of Reyes throat as he took another mouthful of whiskey, “Your cousins are Sam and Scott Ryder?”

“You really are psychic,” Anthony hummed with laughter, “They brought me out here on the Tempest, I was meant to be getting us drinks but…” he glanced up at the upper level, “They seem to have disappeared.”

“What terrible hosts,” Reyes mused, still chuckling to himself, “I, on the other hand, am I much better drinking partner. I have a private room upstairs, if you would care to join me for more drinks.”

“You’re the mind reader, you tell me what my answer is.”

Reyes took the bottle of whiskey in one hand, and the two glasses in the other and headed for the stairs, missing the impressed smile Anthony wore on his face as he followed behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ten points to whoever can tell me where I ripped this entire scene off from


	2. taste like whiskey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Reyes talk about what happened the night before, and Reyes gets an offer he can't refuse.

“So I take the fact that I saw you buying Ant breakfast this morning to mean that you two had a pleasant evening,” Sam smirked at her friend as she sat herself down beside him, pouring herself a glass of whiskey.

Reyes chuckled into his drink, the tell tale signs of a blush in his cheeks, “That is definitely one way to describe it.”

“You _dog_ ,” she gasped playfully, “On the first date and everything.”

“I’m relieved it even counted as a date.”

“It didn’t, I was being polite,” she said, tucking her legs up into her chair to get more comfortable, “So you really like him, huh?”

“What did you think was going to happen?” he asked, “You throw a gorgeous guy into my bar, buy us a bottle of whiskey and disappear. You obviously had some intentions.”

“I thought you’d get drunk and make out with him. I thought it would lead to an actual date. Wine and dine him before you get down and dirty in the back room of Tartarus.”

“I took him back to my apartment, actually.”

Sam choked on a mouthful of her drink, “Where?!”

“My apartment.”

“You mean you don’t live out of the back room of Tartarus?”

He frowned, “Did you think that’s where I lived?”

“How could I not? You are there all the fucking time. You seriously have an apartment?”

“Yes,” he laughed.

“And why have you never taken your best friend there?”

“Because I don’t want you drinking all of my good whiskey,” he told her with a smile.

“So let me get this straight; you have never once invited me, your best friend of nearly half a year who visits you nearly every other week, to your apartment, but you took my cousin there because you wanted to get laid?”

“That sounds about right,” he said.

“Oh the betrayal,” she flopped playfully back, hand thrown over her face, “And just when I thought I couldn’t take any more deceit.”

“Oh hush.”

“So, are you going to see each other again?” she asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck, “I… honestly don’t know.”

“Well you obviously like each other.”

“We didn’t make any arrangements when he left this morning. He had to get on the transport out to the outpost, we didn’t have a lot of time to talk before he went. He’s a soldier at the outpost, whilst I, the ever shady bastard, must remain here in the port to make sure no one tries to blow up my planet, it’s not exactly the best basis for starting a relationship.”

“And we couldn’t be close friends because I’m the Pathfinder,” she snorted sarcastically, “Look, I’m not saying you have to move in with the guy, but don’t let him go that easily. You deserve to be happy.”

He smiled warmly, nodding at her words, “Okay, Samantha. I’ll take it under advisement.”

“Good,” she said, flashing him a grin, “Because I am going to eventually run out of Ryders to set you up with. There are only a finite amount of us in Andromeda, you know this, right?”

He rolled his eyes at her, laughing, “And it has to be a Ryder?”

“Look, you’ve obviously got a thing for our beautiful Italian physiques. I don’t blame you, we’re a flawless collective of people.”

He shook his head to himself, “I knew you were going to be a pain my ass the moment I laid eyes on you.”

“And _that_ is why I am your best friend,” she tipped her glass towards him.

“I’ll drink to that,” he smiled, clinking his glass against hers, both of them draining the rest of the contents in one mouthful.

They sat for a little while longer together, catching up on other matters; business within the port, stragglers who still opposed the Charlatan’s rule, the imminent arrival of Scott and Gil’s baby, but their chat was cut short by the sound of a knock on the door.

“Are you expecting…?” she asked.

“No one,” he said, setting his glass down quietly on the table. He gave her a nod and she slid the safety off of her pistol, holding it discreetly in her lap. He got to his feet, hand resting on his own pistol as he headed for the door.

He pressed the release, both of them waiting with baited breath to see how quickly they would have to pull their weapons. Once they saw who was on the other side, they both let out a relieved sigh, Reyes muttering a string of curses in Spanish under his breath.

Anthony was stood there, dressed in his Initiative uniform.

“I’m sorry for just dropping by like this, but I just…” he trailed off when he saw the look on Reyes’ face and his cousin on the couch, “Sam? I didn’t know you would be here.”

“Just catching up with a friend,” she told him, a shit eating grin on her face, “I was just leaving. I’ve got some errands to run in the market. I’ll catch you both later.”

Before anyone could say another word, she was on her feet, pistol slid safely back into its holster on her thigh and she was out the door, disappearing into the thick smoke that hung in the air constantly.

Reyes gestured for Anthony to come in, closing the door behind him and taking a seat beside him on the couch, “So,” he said, “I thought you were at the outpost.”

“I missed the shuttle this morning… on purpose,” Anthony admitted, “I’m not sure when I’ll have time to come back to the port, and I didn’t want to just leave without seeing you again.”

“I see,” Reyes nodded, “I will confess that I wasn’t enjoying the thought of not seeing you for weeks, or maybe not ever if you didn’t feel like bumping into the random stranger you had a one night stand with.”

Anthony chuckled softly at that, “You should know… I don’t normally do stuff like that; hook up with someone I’ve just met. And yet…”

“And yet?” Reyes prompted.

“And _yet_ , I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you all day. And not just because of the sex, which was amazing, I just… _God_ , I’m usually so much better at this.”

“If it helps at all, I find the flustered look very endearing,” Reyes told him, “But I know what you are trying to say, and I feel the same.”

“So if I were to ask if you wanted to get dinner with me?”

He smiled, “I think I could be on board with that. Aside from the fact that there aren’t any restaurants in the port yet. It’s seedy bars and warehouses I’m afraid. Though there is always my place?”

Anthony gave a nod, “I’ll cook.”

“You’ll have some high expectations to meet. Samantha has been feeding me dishes straight from the Ryder family cook book for a while now.”

“I have been issued a challenge. Auntie Ellen taught Sam well, but we all know it’s my side of the family that has the real talent with cooking.”

Reyes chuckled, “I really had no clue what I was getting involved with with your family, did I?”

“Not a clue, Reyes,” Anthony laughed, “Not a damn clue.”


End file.
